Our Guests are Ready and Waiting to Sail: P&O Cruises Reveals High Demand for Sailings

Just a few hours after releasing its Summer 2022 programme, P&O Cruises has received a high level of demand from customers, running at a level that's "akin to previous years" before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to president Paul Ludlow.

Speaking at the P&O Cruises Summer 2022 launch briefing, he said: "Our guests are ready and waiting to sail with us. This morning, we opened up pre-registration for the Summer 2022 programme and it was incredible.

"We are only four and a half hours into that process already and it runs for a little while before we go on sale, but what we’ve seen levels of pre-registration that are akin to previous years.

"One thing that has always defined P&O Cruises in the marketplace is the amount of early business we generate and when we put a programme on sale, people go crazy for it in a really positive way.

"I was really encouraged because you never know what can happen, that when we opened our pre-registration that we have seen demand that's similar to what we've seen in previous years."

For the P&O Cruises president, this level of demand highlights how the pandemic has not put off customers' desire for cruise holidays.

"People want to holiday and people want to go on cruise holidays, and people believe there will be better times ahead and I think today is just proof of exactly what consumers think," he said.

He also revealed how bookings for the second half of next year and the spring of 2022 are strong, the latter of which have surpassed historical ranges for P&O Cruises.

Due to resume sailings in 2021, Ludlow went on to say that the cruise line is committed to ensuring the health and safety of passengers and has worked on a number of measures to ensure all P&O ships are ready to set sail next year.

Among these measures include testing guests prior to boarding, operating at a reduced passenger capacity and enhanced technology.

"We are committed to ensuring the highest level of safety for all of our guests and all of our crew and all of the communities we visit," he said.

"All of our guests will be subject to testing and be assured, this technology is moving very fast and we will ensure that when our ships return to sea we will be using the best technology available to ensure our guests stay healthy while on board one of our holidays."

Ludlow continued: "Our ships are floating cities. We have shops, spas, salons, gyms, pools, casinos, children's clubs – we’ve got a lot to think about, but we are doing just that.

"Over the last six months, we've thought long and hard about what is the shoreside equivalent. How are they managing guests or their customers to ensure that people feel comfortable? how are they working with government bodies to bring it all together?

"And that bringing it all together is difficult for a cruise ship, but not beyond our reach by any means and I'm sure that when we get that green light from the FCDO to return to sailings, we will be ready."

Visit pocruises.com for more information.